Distance
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Nothing is more important than pure blood; Bellatrix knows that Tom Riddle isn't unworthy. He can't be. She just has to find proof. Soulmate!au, hints at Bellamort


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts are below! :)**

**Criminology Task 2: Write about researching a family or person for whatever reason**

**Word Count: 1141**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling. **

**Thanks to Anna for beta-ing!**

**WARNINGS: Language, implied child abuse**

**Enjoy!**

"_Lumos_."

Bellatrix whispered the spell quickly, her dark eyes narrowing in the sudden light. She looked around the empty library for a moment before sitting down to pore over the book she'd retrieved from the shelves of the Restricted Section. She sat on the edge of her chair, leaning over the book carefully.

Bellatrix glanced at the name on her forearm, despite knowing exactly what name was there: Tom Riddle. She didn't know any Riddles in the school, but that didn't mean they weren't pureblood; all she had to do was find proof of their lineage in these records.

Tom Riddle had to be a pureblood. Her quest for information on him was growing more urgent—soon, her parents would arrange a marriage to whomever they deemed a suitable match. Soulmates could be matches _only if_ they checked all the boxes.

So far, she hadn't found any proof that hers did.

"Bellatrix!" a breathless voice gasped out, startling the seventeen-year-old. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere."

Bellatrix quickly composed herself and turned to glare at her younger sister. "Shhh. Please. You'll wake the dead."

Andromeda pulled out a chair, her eyes wide as she squinted at her sister through the dim light. "It's way past curfew—you shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," Bellatrix pointed out, "and yet, here you are."

"I was worried about you. You weren't in bed!"

"Why were you in my dormitory?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you." Andromeda tucked a long, curly strand of hair behind her ear. "What are you doing?"

Bellatrix flipped through the index of the book and responded without looking up. "Researching something. Tell me what you wanted to talk about."

Andromeda looked curious. "What are you researching?"

Bellatrix stiffened, but she didn't give anything away. She just kept looking. _R, r_… where was Riddle?

Understanding dawned on Andromeda's face; she always was too perceptive for her own good. "Are you checking the lineage of your soulmate? You know, it—it doesn't really matter, does it, if you're destined to love—"

Bellatrix's head snapped up. Her hair fell in front of her face, but she didn't shove the dark, curly locks away immediately. "What are you saying?" she asked slowly.

Andromeda's gaze was fixed on her blue nightgown. "I only mean that, if your soulmate isn't a pureblood, I won't mind."

Disgust washed over Bellatrix like a wave. Her soulmate was _not _anyone of lesser blood. She knew it deep within her soul that he was the purest of people. The most respectable. She only had to find proof.

"That is not what you meant," she growled. "Never suggest such a thing again."

Andromeda's shoulders tensed as she lifted her head to look at Bellatrix defiantly. Surprise briefly flitted across the older girl's features; her sisters never questioned her. "I don't think it would be so bad," she insisted stubbornly. "If I love them—"

"You will pollute the future generations," Bellatrix hissed. "Bite your tongue, Andromeda. _Know your place._"

"You can't control who I love!" Andromeda protested, her voice echoing throughout the silent library; the threat of teachers was the last thing on the girls' minds, however.

"This," Bellatrix seethed, "is why Mother doesn't. Fucking. Love you. You care nothing of duty, but listen to this: without this family, you are nothing. Carry out your duties, create a better world. Anything less is not good enough, and I know what is best for you."

The fifteen-year-old let out a gasp, but Bellatrix wouldn't take back her words. If this was how Andromeda had to learn… so be it. She couldn't live her life with those ridiculous notions poisoning her worldview.

"You can't open up the story of my life and just go to page 738 and think you know me," Andromeda whispered, a tremor in her voice. "What's best for me is for me to decide."

Bellatrix let out a shrill laugh. "Do you hear yourself? You're completely delusional. If you want to secure your place in this family, start acting like a responsible woman." Bellatrix let a finger trail down to her soulmark. "There is no place for sloppiness in this family."

Andromeda's hands were balled into fists; Bellatrix was once again surprised by the show of strength she didn't normally see from her sister. "Bella… it is not _sloppiness_ to care for a Muggle."

"Imagine if a child was conceived, though." Bellatrix snapped her book shut and moved on to another one. "Better not to get your hands dirty at all, no matter what disgusting phase you're going through right now."

Because that was all it could be, surely—childish rebellion. Andromeda was too smart to actually believe that all blood was equal. But… the younger girl was oddly persistent. She peered at her sister closely, as though in search of some sign of that heinous sin. "You don't need my help growing _out_ of this phase, do you?"

Andromeda's mouth fell shut; she knew what sort of methods the Blacks used to convince someone of something. "Oh… no thanks," she said quietly.

Bellatrix nodded. "Good. I'd hate to have to inform Mother that your… radical ideas are getting out of hand again."

Andromeda was silent for several minutes as Bellatrix worked. Eventually, her blue eyes drifted to Bellatrix's left forearm, where the last letter of Riddle's name was barely visible. "Let me help you look," she demanded, reaching to pull the older girl's sleeve up.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Bellatrix snapped, her eyes wild. Andromeda fell back in a chair, startled.

Bellatrix was breathing heavily as her heart pounded. She didn't want anyone to know Tom's identity because she knew what they would say—no one had heard of any pureblood named Riddle. Maybe the blood was slightly tainted, but if it was, nobody could know. She'd take the secret to her grave.

"It might be hard to find them on your own," Andromeda protested, but the fight was gone from her voice.

"Good." Bellatrix's voice was curt. "I like a challenge."

Andromeda waited another ten minutes for her to change her mind, then went to bed. Bellatrix found herself unable to lament the distance growing between the two of them—there were more pressing matters at hand.

Minutes into her research, she paused. When, she wondered, had she devoted herself to Tom Riddle—so much so that her struggling sister took the backseat? Her dark eyes fell on the name printed so elegantly on her arm. She knew he was worth it. She just _knew_.

Bellatrix's brow furrowed determinedly. She didn't care how long it took, she was going to figure out exactly who Tom Riddle was and what sort of man he was destined to be.

It would be greatness, she was sure. A Black wouldn't settle for less, after all.

A mere five years later, Bellatrix wouldn't be disappointed.

WC: Assorted Appreciation — 9. Penny — (setting) library, (dialogue) "Oh… no thanks.", (activity) reading

WC: Disney Challenge: Characters 7. Tick-Tock Croc — write about running out of time

WC: Trope of the Month: 14. (item) chair

WC: All Sorts of Space: 1. (word) breathless

WC: Book Club: Twid Sisters — (relationship) sisters, (word) lament, (dialogue) "Good. I like a challenge."

WC: Showtime: 15. (color) blue

WC: Amber's Attic: 1. "This is why Mom doesn't fucking love you!"

WC: Press Play: 18. "You can't open up the story of my life and just go to page 738 and think you know me."

WC: LIza's Loves: 10. (spell) lumos

WC: Scamander's Case: 25. (word) empty

WC: Film Festival: 28. "Shhh. Please. You'll wake the dead."

Seasonal: Days of the Year: August 4 — write about sisters

Seasonal: Fire: Write about a character that's quick to anger

Seasonal: Mix It Up, Andromeda, disgust

Romance Awareness: Day 3: you have your soulmate's name on your body, "Stay the hell away from me!"

Fortnightly: Slytherin & Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff & Gryffindor: (S&R) intelligent/(G&H) laughing

27\. Urgent

175\. (theme) truth


End file.
